James Worthy Wants Lakers to Run Offense Through Steve Nash, Not Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant shoots a lot. For most of his career, that has been Bryant's job for the Los Angeles Lakers. The four-time All-Star Game Most Valuable Player has led the league in field goal attempts five times in the last seven seasons, and he came in a close second the other two years.

After winning five NBA championships, Bryant has made it difficult to argue with his approach.

With the acquisition of point guard Steve Nash this offseason, though, one knowledgeable observer would like to see a new player handling the ball the majority of the time for the Lakers. James Worthy, a Hall of Fame forward and seven-time All-Star with the Lakers, believes the team will be better off with Nash leading the offense.

"The ball has to be in Steve Nash's hands," Worthy told The Los Angeles Times. "We haven't had a point guard like that since Magic Johnson. Steve Nash can make Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder look good on a basketball floor. Steve knows how to play the game with angles. A lot of that comes from his early soccer games. He knows how to get inside, deliver and you just have to put it in. I don't think they're going to have a major running game. But I think Steve Nash's ability to pass the ball can lead to some fast breaks. It's going to be based on pick-and-rolls and maybe some isolation plays with Steve and Kobe.

"Last year, they ran some pick-and-roll with Andrew [Bynum] and Pau [Gasol], but they ran a lot of isos with Kobe. I think that should change. I don't think we should have the defense looking straight at Kobe all the time. I'm assuming there will be more picks to make it easier for everyone."

Bryant has led the league in scoring average twice and was in a tight contest for the scoring crown with Kevin Durant last season. But he turned 34 years old last month and has more than 42,000 career minutes on his knees, and suffered a shin injury late last season after battling a torn lunotriquetral ligament in his right wrist all season.

Photo via Facebook/Steve Nash